I learned this on Thursday after posting an item on social media for discussion. The topic: Lack of coverage by wire services of the Sept. 11 incident in Benghazi, Libya in which a U.S. ambassador and three others were killed.

The responses were immediate.

ďIt would seem that nearly every editor in America is dealing with this right now. (Or at least every single one I speak with),Ē wrote one, a representative with a news syndication organization.

ďI have run into the same issues with Benghazi. Politics aside, this is a news story and should be covered and examined. Period,Ē wrote another, a newspaper editor in upstate New York of my acquaintance.

What ensued was a wide-ranging conversation about the business of news coverage in America today. It was about the now long-standing conflicts between TV and print news-gathering organizations and the shortcomings or biases inherent in each and the frustrations of daily newspapers who depend on outside sources for coverage of national and international events ó in other words, the poor slobs who are caught in the middle.

And mainly it was about what Iíve come to believe about election season: Once politics enter the mix, then absolutely nothing can be believed. As Election Day draws closer, less can be taken at face value. At this point, I donít even want to discuss dog food with Democrats and Republicans.

I began the online give-and-take mainly because of my own frustrations about the paucity of coverage of what is now believed to be a terrorist attack on the anniversary of 9/11. A few of our readers have complained about a lack of reporting of the event and its aftermath in the Times-News. Itís a legit concern and Iíve told the callers so.

Hereís an example of what Iím talking about. I got this email from Linda Hall of Mebane last week.

I really like the Times-News, but it is puzzling why you have not covered this story more. Every day more news comes out showing the White House knew more than it has told the American people. The president has told one thing and other about this. Ambassador Chris Stevens requested more security several times including the day he was killed. I would like to see The Times-News cover this not just from the AP because they are not covering it too well. Benghazi is a terrible, but to not tell the truth about it could be worse.

(Insert heavy sigh here). I agree.

And while I donít have all the answers, here is what I know. The Associated Press is our primary news service, and we subscribe to a limited version of whatís available. Everyone in the news business has made cuts over the past few years, including the venerable AP, which has its own reporters and photographers but also relies on other news agencies as a collective for covering events around the world. The AP once had a fleet of reporters stationed nearly everywhere. Not so anymore.

Page 2 of 2 - We also subscribe to a news service operated by McClatchy Tribune. That is a consortium of newspapers stretching across the nation from the Los Angeles Times to the Miami Herald and several large metros in-between, including Chicago, Dallas and Detroit. All of them had foreign bureaus at one time and a multitude of staffers in Washington. Also, not anymore.

So the availability of world and national news is more limited for the Times-News than in the good olí days.

That said, though, none is covering Benghazi on a daily basis or even regularly. Cable TVís Fox News is. In fact, Fox is covering it every hour and producing eye-opening reports. Therefore, people who watch the conservative-leaning Fox News believe the story is being way undercovered by what is perceived to be the more liberal mainstream media.

At this point, Iím not sure how much of the Fox coverage is politically motivated set to impact the election. On the flip side, Iím equally unsure if the seeming indifference by AP and other wire services is similarly linked to political leanings ó or a knee-jerk opposition to anything Fox might report. Itís not that AP isnít covering it, theyíre just not devoting each day to it. And theyíre mostly sticking to what the government is saying.

I donít particularly like being in the middle. My feeling is that whatever happened in Benghazi on Sept. 11 should be thoroughly examined by professional reporters interested in sifting through the media rubble and obtaining facts.

As for our media discussion, one thing came of it. My friend with the Washington Post Writers Group made a column by David Ignatius available for use by the Times-News. It looks at the CIA timeline of events in Benghazi.

Itís a start.

Madison Taylor is editor of the Times-News. Contact him by email at mtaylor@thetimesnews.com or follow him on Twitter @tnmadisontaylor